


Survival of the Fittest

by tinyalchemist



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Character Death, Eventual Royed, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-05-28 10:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6325552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyalchemist/pseuds/tinyalchemist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the un-dead soldiers infest Amestris and cause a full-scale apocalypse, Ed is certain he is the only one alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Survive. 

That was what you had to do. 

It had been about four months since the undead soldiers had overrun Central. He couldn’t confirm it, but Edward Elric was almost positive it had spread to every other section of Amestris. The once clean and extraordinary Central City now lay in ruin; buildings diminished to rubble, vines claiming the sides that remained of white buildings. Many still remained standing and erect, but their appearance gave a haunting and unwelcoming look, something that said, “Stay away.” 

He wasn’t sure how many survivors there were. Hell, he didn’t even know if there were any survivors. He hadn’t seen another human being since that day. Four months, and three days, to be exact. Ed was eighteen now. At least he thought he was. Sometimes the time warped and he wasn’t sure if it really had been four months and three days. It could’ve been four years. 

The air was thick and dark, with remnants of desperate battle. The undead soldiers had won, of course. One bite to the neck and you were gone. More and more were appearing recently, but Ed didn’t believe in something as silly as zombies. It was unscientific. He had, however assumed that they were massing together, becoming denser in the area he was located at, because they had found it more suitable to their needs, many dead corpses still lining the cobblestone streets. 

He was located in Central Command. It was big and spacious, and had all of the militaristic weapons he could have ever asked for. Rarely did he ever come across one infiltrating, and when he did he made sure to make the death of the one quiet, to keep suspicion from arising. A few years back during the first encounter with the soldiers, he believed they truly were immortal, and that they could not die. However, he did come to the conclusion that if beheaded, the necessary parts of the body became disconnected, and essentially, useless. This was the only way to do it, Ed decided. 

He didn’t look the same. He had gotten taller, his features more prominent. In order to fight off the undead Ed was required to practice a routine, helping with his muscle strength and reflex time. His hair was longer, but he always kept it back into a ponytail. He was thinking about cutting it off completely – his hair made for a good thing to grab when undead soldiers were gaining on him. He’d been in situations that were too close all because of his hair. There were smudges of dirt and blood all over his hands, face, and legs when he didn’t have the chance to shower, and he was beginning to grow a beard; something he really wanted to get rid of when he could find the time. His clothes were ripped, having to use parts of military uniform’s he would find in storage to patch his original clothing up. His eyes were the main difference, however. They no longer shone brightly. They now resembled the eyes of a killer, the eyes of a survivor, and the eyes of a lonely human being. 

Every day, he would go and grab new artillery from the barracks of Central. Then, he would recede into the kitchen, grabbing any kind of canned food or frozen meal that he could find, and ate his meal for the day. Next, he would return upstairs and into the former office of Colonel Mustang. He tried his best to always keep it neat and tidy, just like it would have been if it were still fully functioning, with his superior at his desk and scolding him for something he’d done wrong, with Fuery messing with the radio, Breda eating in the corner and talking to Havoc who was smoking and making jokes about the Colonel, Falman who would always actually do his work, and finally, the lieutenant, who always kept an eye out for Roy, no matter what. There were a few sheets of unfinished paperwork on Roy’s desk, all neatly organized, with a pen on top of the first paper, and a lamp to the right, awaiting the return of its owner. The windows, however was something Ed couldn’t fix. They were bloodied and dirty, smudges ranging from top to bottom, left to right. He’d gotten all the ones on the inside, but the outside was a different story. There was no way he could. There were small holes in the windows from bullets, which sometimes let rain in if it was windy. 

The coffee stain was still there though. And Ed intended to keep it that way. 

The only thing Ed couldn’t get rid of on the inside were a few bloodstains – the most particular one being on the wall opposite of Ed’s favorite couch. He remembered clearly what had caused the large smear of blood. One of the soldiers had managed to get in and find him. They had pinned him against the wall, and in his struggle, they ripped at his arm, tearing the flesh right off. Ed had then turned around quickly (his arm scraping up against the wall to create the smear) and kicked the creature off, quickly thrusting the handle of the rifle into its chest and swiped a hand blade across its head swiftly before losing consciousness. 

He chuckled quietly. That one never did heal all the way. Ed was sitting in the chair in front of his former superior’s desk. He glanced down at his left arm, smiling at the white bandages that covered his entire forearm. It wasn’t a pretty sight to behold, so he kept it under bandages. He crossed his legs and propped them up on the desk, admiring his dusty boots. As sad as it was, he knew that Riza, Falman, Breda, and Fuery were never returning to their posts. During the beginning of the havoc he had been given the opportunity to step over each of their cold, pale bodies, lying pathetically in the streets. He knew for certain they had all died fighting. Each held a gun in their hand, battle scars painting their body. He wasn’t sure about Havoc; he hadn’t found him yet, and there was uncertainty with Roy also. 

But he could hope, couldn’t he?

Al was gone, so was Winry. Granny too. Some days he wondered if he was the only human left in Amestris, or hell, the world. He removed his dusty shoes from the desk and buffed it with his arm to make sure he left no marks, leaving the chair behind as he made his way to the gun on the couch. He loaded it and stuck it in his back holster. It was black, and leather, engraved with the letter’s ‘RM’. Luckily Roy always had an extra in the bottom left drawer of his desk. He was thankful that Roy had told him there was a loaded gun including a holster there, if there was ever an emergency. He took a switchblade and placed it in his pocket, and then a large hand blade, placing it in a makeshift knife holster he’d made out of some old military suits. The strap around his shoulder and chest was made from belts, and polished with alchemy. He then tied his hair back swiftly, and made his exit, closing the wooden door behind him softly. 

It was time for his daily routine. He would walk around Central City, to locate any survivors or fugitive’s that had managed to get away. His boots made a crunching sound as they made their way over small rocks and pebbles, his guess that they were once part of a building. 1st street was done. On to the next. 

He made the mistake of coughing, instantly covering his mouth with his bandaged hands. He waited thirty seconds, before continuing cautiously. Nothing had come out. Halfway down the road however, a flash of white and red went across Ed’s vision, and in the next second, he was on the ground. An undead soldier was pinning him, and aiming directly for his neck. He didn’t think twice; he quickly slammed his head into the soldiers, buying him a split second. That was all he needed. He grabbed the knife from his holster and flipped the soldier over, so that it was on the ground instead, and Ed on top. Ed quickly raised his knife to slash, but midway felt a hot searing pain erupt in his back. He flashed his eyes back to see another, gripping onto Ed with its teeth, a high pitched growl coming from its mouth. He felt his breath hitch when it deepened its grip, and he yelled in pain, quickly bringing the knife down on the other so he could focus his attention on the soldier on his back. He whipped around quickly in an attempt to make the undead release its grip, but it remained sturdy. He screamed when the teeth ripped further in, and elbowed it hard in the face, taking skin with it when it released its hold. Ed whimpered and quickly went to grab his gun, whipping around. He shot it three times in the face, and then twice in the chest, the force toppling the soldier over so Ed could do his job. He slashed at the monster’s throat, and with one last screech, fell limp. 

Ed quickly climbed off the soldier and placed his gun back in his holster, his knife following. He collapsed next to the bleeding monster, and closed his eyes, his breathing ragged. It’d tore a muscle. He needed to get home now. With all of the strength he could bear, he staggered to his feet, and began to make his way home, his vision wavering in and out the further he walked. 

Amazingly, he’d made it back to Central Command. He felt like collapsing on the floor, losing consciousness, sweeping him away to a world of no pain. But he knew that wasn’t an option. He grabbed bandages from under the couch where he always kept them, and quickly went to work, wrapping it tightly so he wouldn’t lose blood overnight. He then threw himself on the couch, and pulled the ragged blanket over his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Just go to sleep. That’s all he needed to do. Deal with it in the morning. He let out a slow breath, and tried to count backwards from 100. 99…98…97..


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning he awoke with a start, gasping for air. The pain came rushing back, and he hissed, throwing the covers off of him. He glanced over at the now empty gun and two knives that he had set on the table, and let out a small sigh, running a hand through his ponytail. He sat up slowly, and began to unwrap the bandages, so that he could properly clean it this time. He grabbed the bottle of peroxide next to the couch, and prepared himself for the worst. He poured it down his back, and let out a wail, covering his mouth with his free hand to keep from making noise. Once he had estimated that the wound was clean, he put the peroxide down, and grabbed more bandages, wrapping himself up again. The bandages covered the entirety of his chest, starting at a little below his collarbone, and ending just below his diaphragm. He then placed the belt over his bare chest (minus the bandages), figuring he needed to patch his shirt up before he went out today. 

Damn. What kind of life was this? Sometimes that question hit Ed a little too hard. What was he fighting for? What if the whole world was dead? Then what? But no, he knew he had to keep going. He couldn’t disregard his own advice he had given everybody else. He needed to keep moving forward. 

He was halfway down the 3rd street, his hand carefully caressing the gun as he walked through, holding it in an upward position. He flinched when he heard a large mass of a building crumble to the ground, thankful it hadn’t been too close. He didn’t need any more particles in his lungs than he already had. He continued walking for about another hour, his back beginning to ache terribly again. He rubbed it gingerly, and turned down another street, hearing a noise. He froze again. Could it have been another undead? He tensed and readied his gun, moving forward silently. This street was dark, acting more as an alleyway for the city. He could hardly see a thing, and was having trouble moving through the rubble. He took another step, his boot kicking a small piece of rubble forwards, producing a clink. He gasped silently, widening his eyes when he heard a distant noise, followed by a surging roar of flames, aimed right at him. He gritted his teeth and quickly began to run the opposite way, hoping he could escape the fiery trap before it was too late. When the entrance to the alley was visible, he made a dive, missing the flames by mere inches. Instinctively, without thinking, he began to run back towards the 1st street, wanting to keep from having small tight spaces. Another noise was heard and more flames rushed towards him, this time faster. He swiftly dodged these, but the next managed to singe his side, screaming. He slid to the ground, a few pieces of rubble hitting him on the way down, rendering him limp. He could barely move, his head being the only thing that he could move. Darkness was quickly snatching Ed, and he made a weak cry, feeling a cold barrel meet his temple. “You think it’s funny to im…”

~~~~~~

Ed awoke slowly, feeling sluggish and weak. Pain immediately flourished on his side, and he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut. They opened quickly, however when he heard movement, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of life. He didn’t need to look far. Standing right in front of him, kneeled down, was too much of a familiar face. A small squeak released from Ed’s mouth, and the figure sighed with relief, lowering their head somewhat. “So it is you.” Another moment of silence was shared, before the figure moved their gloved hand towards Ed’s forehead, to which Ed screeched and tried to move away from, but found a wall hit his back. The gloved hand then recoiled, and rested next to its body. “You look like hell. Do you even recognize me, Fullmetal?” 

Fullmetal…that was a name only one person called him by. 

Ed raised his eyes to get a clearer look at the human, and gasped when he saw who it was. Roy Mustang, in the living flesh, was kneeling beside him. He looked different too, his features looking more aged and worn than he had remembered, and his eyes were clouded; clouded and sad. Ed started to sit up, but the gloved hand came and made him lay down again, sighing. “You still haven’t learned, have you? Stay down, you’re hurt.” 

“I’m fine.” 

Wow. Who’s voice was that? It was one he hadn’t heard in nearly four months. It took him a minute to realize it was actually his, the voice sounding rough and unused. 

“I’m sorry I burned you. I had to know if it was really you or not. And considering no one else is alive, the odds were slim.” 

“Who would..it have been..besides me..?” 

Roy frowned somewhat, and adjusted his glove, his black jacket draping over him like a cloak. “Some of the undead. They can shapeshift. My guess is that those who were devoured by Envy somehow were able to remain alive and escape to the surface with their newfound powers.” Roy explained, the smooth voice still present in the man’s tone, however it was more rough than before. 

Ed coughed and started to sit up again, this time fighting the hand that came to push him back down. “Let me up..you can’t..just come in here..and expect to start..bossing me around..” he wheezed, placing a hand onto the new burn wound, feeling the heat radiate off of it.

“No, but by the looks of it you do need some serious help.” Roy commented, this time helping the younger alchemist up, giving his support if he needed it. 

“I’m sorry..I didn’t recognize you..” Ed apologized, his voice cracking in the middle of his sentence. He gave a quick once over, deciding they were in an alley. And it was getting late. Not good. “Why don’t we..head back to my place..?” he offered, using the wall to stand up, his legs feeling like jello. 

Roy nodded and started to stand up with Ed, eyeing him cautiously to make sure he wouldn’t fall. “Hey, Fullmetal.” He called, hoping to grab the younger man’s attention. 

Ed glanced over at Roy, giving a questionable look at the blurry figure. 

“I’m glad you’re alive.”


	3. Chapter 3

The two arrived at the front gates of Central somewhere around what Ed would have guessed was 9 PM. Roy was behind Ed, and came to a halt when the younger man did, staring up at the massive fortress he once called his workplace. “Here? You live here?” Roy muttered, looking somewhat impressed as he put a hand over his forehead to get a better look. “How do you get up? The stairs must be ruined by now,” Roy speculated, his eyes darting down to Ed. 

“Nope, there’s only a few stairs that are missing. You just have to hop over them.” Ed explained quietly, his voice becoming easier to control now that it had been warmed up. “We better get going, c’mon.” Ed instructed Roy, and proceeded to make his way up the never-ending stairs. Roy let out a small sigh, and followed the younger man, shifting the jacket on his back. 

They arrived later back at Roy’s office, Ed pushing the door open with his good hand, producing a squeak. He glanced around warily, to ensure there were no soldiers, and then limped inside, sitting down carefully on his couch. Roy followed the alchemist in, a somewhat surprised look on his face. “Well I’ll be damned.” He breathed, noticing how clean and tidy the office looked. “Out of all the rooms, you had to pick this one?” 

Ed nodded silently, moving so he could grab the peroxide and bandages off of the floor. “Yeah. Just to keep my sanity, I needed something familiar, I guess.” Ed explained, as he began to unwrap his left forearm, the old wound that had never healed beginning to reveal itself. The skin was still missing, and the muscles and partial bone was showing. He let out a small huff, and dabbed a small portion of peroxide on an area that looked discolored, whimpering when it made contact.

Roy directed his feet towards Ed, getting a good look at his office again. It’d been too long. He was surprised Ed had kept it in this good of a condition. A small twitch of a smile appeared on Roy’s face, upon seeing the unfinished paperwork, neatly organized on his desk. “You were waiting for me, weren’t you?” He murmured, returning his gaze back down to the teenager as he awaited an answer. However, the whimper caught his attention and his stomach lurched upon seeing Ed’s deteriorated arm. He sat beside Ed and moved closer to get a better look at his arm, one hand moving to grab his shoulder firmly. “What the hell did you do?” He asked, sounding curious and concerned as he watched the alcohol sizzle into the muscle. 

“One of the soldiers. They tore at my arm, and part of it came off, basically.” Ed said simply, motioning with his head towards the smear on the wall. “It was pretty early on.” He clarified, “The skin never healed so I just have to keep it wrapped, and watch for infections.” He began to wrap the wound up again, starting at his wrist. 

Roy felt his heart drop upon Ed’s explanation. This was not something a boy his age should have to go through. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help.” He apologized, although his tone was still authoritative, his voice somehow still retaining that after all these months. 

“Forget it. I’m just glad you’re here now. I thought everybody was dead.” Ed whispered, finishing the wrapping silently, giving it a tight tug. He felt something warm well up in his throat, something that didn’t happen often. What was it this time? It felt like fear. Fear and relief at the same time. Another moment passed, and Ed couldn’t help but begin to shake, his head hanging low. “I was so scared. I thought I was going to die. I thought you were dead. And if you were dead that meant that there was no way any of us could have made it.” He whispered, his hand tightening around the roll of bandages he held in his hand. “Riza, Breda, Fuery, and Falman, they’re all—“ 

“Dead. Yes. I know.” Roy cut his sentence off and finished for him, his voice deep with sorrow. His head turned to meet Ed’s golden gaze, an unreadable expression on his face. “But you did survive. Which makes you one of the strongest.” Roy told the young alchemist. “And like you’ve told everybody else. We just have to keep moving forward. We’re all we’ve got now.” He then turned to the desk again, and let another smile crack onto his face. “Thank you for taking care of my office for me while I was gone.” He thanked Ed quietly, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. He then released his hand from Ed’s shoulder, and relaxed his muscles, giving Ed a once over. “Is that bandage for a wound on your back?” 

Ed lifted his head when Roy spoke, his eyes making contact with the dark, piercing eyes. “I figured when you came back you would want some kind of surprise, right?” He asked sadly, raising his hands to fix his ponytail, which was drooping. “Yeah. It’s from yesterday.” He muttered quietly at the mention of the wound on his back. 

“Did you clean it out?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Come here, and let me have a look.” 

Ed let a small scowl spread across his face. But he knew that if he hadn’t cleaned it thoroughly then the wound could get much, much worse. “Just be easy okay? It tore a muscle, I think.” He warned Roy, who was already unlatching the harness around Ed, and removing his bandages. 

“I see you remembered about my holster.” He observed, noticing his own engraved initials on the holster around Ed’s belt. 

“Yeah. It’s come in handy.” Ed responded evenly, wincing when the sticky bandages tried to cling to his wound, producing a ripping sensation. He ignored it however, knowing it was unavoidable. “Where’ve you been all this time?” Ed asked, his curiosity peaking. 

“I left Central for a while, I figured that would be the worst place to be at the moment, since it was the source of all of them,” Roy explained, taking the wrappings and tossing them to the side. He pressed lightly onto the bloodied part, waiting for a reaction from Ed. When he winced, Roy lifted his finger, and went to grab the peroxide. “I tried to find anybody I could to bring with me, but you were nowhere to be found, Falman and Breda had already gone another away, and the Lieutenant and Fuery..” he paused for a moment, before returning to his explanation. “Havoc and I headed East. Turns out, they had already spread there and were ransacking everything in their way.” Roy gently dabbed a piece of cloth with the alcohol, and began to gently apply it to Ed’s wound evenly. “We remained there for a couple of months, and one day Havoc and I got ambushed. It was like nothing I can explain. There were hundreds, Fullmetal. All coming at us at once. I wasn’t able to flame them all until one of them had Havoc. They..they ripped his throat right out of his body.” The tone of Roy’s voice sounded like he was reliving it, his voice full of remorse and regret. “After that, I started heading back here, to see if anybody was alive. The reason it took me so long was because I was checking around everywhere for survivors. The only one I’ve found so far is you, Ed.” Roy finished, the cloth wiping away some of the smeared blood around Ed’s deep wound, the faint sound of the alcohol sizzling against infection. “You’re beginning to get an infection. I’ll have to keep applying more peroxide daily, in order to keep it from getting worse.” Roy informed Ed. He grabbed the bandages, and began to wrap the younger man tight and securely, to insure no dirt could find its way in. 

“For one thing, I sure am impressed, staying alive for this long. Me, I’ve got my flames, but you? All you’ve got is alchemy and a few resources.” Roy said to Ed’s surprise. He let a small grin cover his face. “Yeah? Well, when you’re forced to survive on an island for a month with only a knife as a resource, these guys are nothing compared to that,” Ed commented, giving Roy a grateful look. “I’m glad you’re alive. And I’m..sorry about Havoc.” He murmured sympathetically, feeling guilt pang in his chest. Havoc hadn’t done anything to deserve that. Hell, nobody had. This was all a sick, cruel, joke. 

Roy’s lips curled into a small smile at the mention of the infamous island that he would always talk about, and turned his head away to gaze out of the bullet-ridden window. 

“So. How’re you holding up?” Ed asked his former superior, raising his dulled, golden eyes to meet what was now the side of Roy’s face. 

Roy flashed Ed a look before he returned his gaze to the window. “Only a few scratches. Nothing too serious.” He reported, noticing the suspicious look Ed was giving him out of the corner of his eye. “Right. I guess long-range flame alchemy does come in handy, doesn’t it?” Ed murmured, his eyes drifting to the gloves on Roy’s hands. Ed let out a small sigh, and stretched, pausing midway when his burn began to strain. “Hey, how long will this burn hurt?” 

Roy glanced back over at Ed, his gaze resting this time. “No more than a few days. I only singed you.” Roy informed him, his eyes tracing over the scar as if it were a map. “I apologize, again for—“ 

“Give it a rest, will you? I know you didn’t mean it.” Ed slumped over and rested his elbows on his legs, his ponytail falling over to one side. “I don’t know about you, but if you want to be able to wake up early we need to go to bed now.” Ed told the former Colonel, motioning with his head to the other couch. “And now you can’t use the whole paperwork excuse anymore.” Ed added, a small grin spreading onto his face. 

Roy narrowed his eyes slightly when he mentioned paperwork, and stood up slowly, sighing. “I never used it as an excuse.” He objected, moving towards his desk to place the jacket over his chair out of old habit. He wasn’t wearing a military suit, to Ed’s surprise, but was wearing something more dark – Ed assumed it was to keep the undead soldiers from noticing him. They were black pants and a dirtied white t-shirt, smeared with dirt, ash, and dried blood. “Does the water still work?” Roy questioned Ed. When he received a silent nod, he sat down on the couch opposite to his former subordinate. “Good. I’ll definitely be needing a shower.” 

Ed let a small chuckle escape him, taking his position onto the couch, his legs sprawled out and his head propped up on the arm. “You and me both, Colonel.”


	4. Chapter 4

Morning arrived, and Ed was the first to wake, his muscles and body sore. He stretched gingerly, doing his best to rid himself of the knots in his back. The couch wasn't exactly the best place to sleep, especially when there were several wounds scattered along his back. He sat up and pushed the loose strands back using his good hand, a yawn spreading across his lips. When his eyes opened again, he sat up, and trudged over to the motionless lump that was claiming the other couch. The mass was breathing evenly. In. Out. In. Out. Ed couldn't help but notice how peaceful the older man looked when he was sleeping, the mask that he put on every day now erased from the man's face. A man who was always troubled with burdens, with heavy responsibility, now looked carefree and released from his chains as he slept. But Ed knew all too well that it would never last past sleep.

Ed wanted nothing more than to lift the limp man, and caress him into a gentle hug, (he had wanted to do this ever since they had first reunited) but Ed knew this was impossible. Their personalities didn't match Ed's thoughts, and their situation definitely didn't help either. Why did everything have to be so damn difficult? Instead, he loomed over the smudged face of his former superior, and nudged him lightly in the chest with his fingers, hoping to wake him.

Roy, in response, grunted and turned on his side, his chest away from Ed. The younger man sighed and tried again, this time bringing Roy back to his original position, wondering if a voice would snap him to. "Hey. Colonel. Wake up." He used the two hands that were wrapped around his right arm to shake him a little harder, and fortunately received a better response from the Colonel.

Two dark eyes fluttered open, dark lines of fatigue stretching under them. A few stray pieces of black hair covered parts of Roy's eyes, but quickly fell into a more natural position when he shifted his head. A large breath was drawn in from Roy's nose, and then let out slowly, a yawn following shortly. "When you said early you really meant early," Roy greeted tiredly, his eyes struggling to stay completely open as the older man made his way to a sitting position on the couch. "Any trouble?" He asked Ed, a dark aura quickly shrouding Roy's original emotion in a gaze.

Ed shook his head, a tired smile spreading across his face. “Nah. None that I heard anyways.” He reported, giving Roy a once over. The majority of his body was still covered in a soft blue blanket, and Ed couldn’t help but snicker at the soft and cuddly appearance it was giving Roy. “Why don’t you go ahead and head for the showers? I’ll be down in a little.” He suggested, standing up straight once he’d finished speaking to the older man. 

Roy blinked twice at the younger alchemist, processing the words that were being directed towards him. Being this tired really dulled his senses – something that he’d wished he could just get over. “If you insist.” He murmured. He shifted the blue blanket that was underneath him off, and to the side, standing up off of the couch. He stretched, both arms moving above his head, as if he were reaching for something on the ceiling, and then back down to his side, with an outward sigh. “I’ll be seeing you, then.” Roy waved to the older Elric, and made his way to the all too familiar wooden doors, creaking one open, and then closed.   
That left Ed alone in the room. He raised his head to gaze out the window, noticing dark clouds beginning to roll into the city. “Great.” Ed murmured, running a hand through his now loose ponytail. “That’ll make everything even harder.” 

It took Roy longer than normal to arrive at the showers. Before all of this had happened, the Flame Alchemist knew the halls of Central like the back of his hand. Now, however it was more difficult to remember where hallways cutoff, or which main hallways held the smaller ones. The survival instincts had pushed most of Roy’s routine out of his head, making room for more important matters. The door creaked open, and Roy was presented with dozens of shower stalls, each now moldy and stained. There was one stall however that looked clean, and Roy presumed it was the stall Ed used to shower himself. Since he knew Ed would be down momentarily, he decided to take the stall next to Ed’s, opening it with a creak. His nose wrinkled when he noticed the amount of scum and mold there was, but he knew it would do him no harm for such a short period of time. “I’ll find something to clean it with later, I suppose.” 

He undressed quickly and dropped his clothes on the cleanest spot he could find on the floor, and turned the water on, somewhat surprised it still ran as he noticed the rust forming on the showerhead. He was greeted with a warm liquid beating along his back, giving off a rhythmic hum off while he dumped his head under the running water. Roy’s black, moppy hair draped over his eyes, blinding him from seeing as he began to lather it with the shampoo he’d found half filled, still lying in the stall. He let a long sigh escape his lips; it was going to be a long day. 

Ed was making his way down to the showers, painfully removing the hairband from his ratty hair as he neared the door that led to the shower room. Once it was ripped out of his hair, he opened the door, the faint sound of running water instantly becoming louder. Ed frowned when he noticed that his former superior wasn’t in the clean shower stall, and wrinkled his nose, moving towards the older man. “Why’re you using that stall? It’s all dirty.” He commented as he began to undress himself, flinching when the rough fabric of the shirt ran over the wound on his back, the pain searing despite the bandages tightly securing it. 

Roy opened his eyes and brushed the wet hair out of his face when he heard the familiar voice. “I knew you were coming down, and I wanted to enjoy my shower.” He explained as he began to rinse his black hair of the white suds. “And I knew if I had been in your shower stall and taking my time you would’ve yelled at me, asking me ‘why I was taking so damn long’”. A smirk swept across Roy’s face as he watched the younger alchemist grow flustered, the big mouth of his beginning to open in defense, but Roy cut him off. “There’s no reason to get defensive, now is there Fullmetal?” Roy asked innocently, watching as the mouth closed slowly. “I was simply doing a favor for you.” 

Ed swallowed his retort and tore his eyes away from his former superior, muttering quietly under his breath. He opened the stall next to Roy’s and turned the rusty handle, the squeak producing warm water out of the shower head. He then began to slip off his pants, throwing them in the same place he had his shirt. He then slid his underwear off and did the same, before he clothes the stall, and moved under the water, using his hands (his right one mostly) to wet his hair enough so the shampoo could do its work. 

Roy kept his eyes on the younger man while he was undressing, the divider preventing him from seeing anything crucial. He wasn’t only impressed with his physique - even though he had matured greatly in the four months that they had been separated – but also with how much he’d been through. All of the scars and smudges on Ed each told a story. It was like reading a book. You could interpret the information given all you wanted, but only the writer knew the true meaning behind them. In this case, Roy was the interpreter. His eyes devoured Ed’s injuries in and processed them as well as he could, but some were too complex even for Roy to understand. He let his eyes drift away from the touches of death, and back the wall opposite of them, focusing on the water running down his back. He reached for the soap distractedly, and wrapped his fingers around it when he’d located the bar, lathering his body up and down with the soap. 

Ed was now washing his hair, the color lightening at least by two shades as all of the dirt and grime was stripped. He then began to clean his body of the dirt, wincing when he coasted over his wounds. He had been unaware that Roy was watching him, too focused on his own cleanliness to notice. When he ran the soap over his burn wound he bit his lip, releasing a soft grunt from his mouth. He tried to keep it quiet so Roy wouldn’t notice, but then again, this was the Colonel he was talking about. 

Roy didn’t bother looking over, already certain of the source of the noise. “I advise you avoid contact with the burn as much as possible, Fullmetal.” He said evenly, moving lower as he bathed himself, the warm water erasing his earlier tracks. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I wasn’t thinking, that’s all.” Came a response, in which Roy released a sigh afterwards. “Of course you weren’t.” He muttered, and let the rest of the suds wash down the drain as he set the soap back down on the stand. 

Ed cast a glance over to the other man, and then back to his own self as he finished peeling the dirt off of his body. He felt nice and clean now, despite the several wounds painting his body, and turned the water off when the soap was gone. Roy did the same, both valves squeaking their resistance at the same time. Ed was the first to open his stall, showing no visible embarrassment whatsoever as he openly knelt down and grabbed his underwear, sliding it back onto his body, his shirt and pants following. Roy only smirked as he did the same, underwear first, then shirt, then pants. Once the two were clothed, Roy ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head. “Is it storming outside? I’ve got the biggest headache.” Roy asked the younger man, scowling at the irritable throbbing inside of his skull. 

Ed nodded, using the hair tie he had previously removed from his hair to bind it again in a high, wet ponytail. “Yeah. There were some clouds rolling in when I was up there earlier. Looks like your alchemy won’t help us today.” Ed added, a smug look appearing across Ed’s face. An unamused look spread across the older man’s face at the reference, and placed a hand on Ed’s head, shoving him backwards. “Very funny, Fullmetal.” He muttered quietly, doing his best to keep his hair from drying in an obscure style, running his hand over it towards his face. 

Ed stumbled back when Roy shoved him backwards, a grin on his face. “What’s the matter, bastard? Can’t take a joke?” 

Roy only rolled his eyes, giving Ed a playful look. “You’re hopeless,” he muttered, his eyes moving up towards his bangs as he inspected their angle, furrowing his eyebrows to get a better view. Once he was confident in their position, he lifted his feet off the ground, nearing the doorway of the shower room. “Are you coming?” He called back to his former subordinate, who nodded and followed after him, quickly falling in line with his pace. 

Once the two returned to Roy’s former office, Ed returned to his couch, grabbing the roll of bandages. He gently unwrapped the now wet bandages and began to roll a new set of white protective material onto his arm, the muscle and bone a nauseating sight for Roy. Once he was done, he grabbed the rifle next to his “bed” and strap, fastening it onto his chest. He then grabbed his two knives and pistol and placed them in their correct locations, sighing. “Do you need some artillery? Like I said there’s a ton down in the weaponry.” Ed explained, his eyes casting back up to the blue gaze of Roy, who in return, nodded. 

“I suppose so, since my alchemy won’t be of any use today.” He replied, a small but firm smile escaping his lips. “Will you lead the way?” Roy asked, side-stepping as he allowed room for Ed to pass him and approach the double doors. 

“Sure thing, Colonel.” Ed grinned, pushing past the older man. He wrapped his fingers around the door handle and pulled against it, the door creaking in resistance. He pushed it to the side when it was open enough, allowing time for Roy to take it and pass through. 

“You know, you can call me Roy.” The older man stated, his eyes on the back of the blonde’s head. “I’m not your commanding officer anymore.” 

Ed turned his head back around to face Roy, leading the two down a large hallway. “Yeah, but I’ve always called you Colonel, haven’t I?” Ed countered, smiling. “But if you prefer Roy, then I’ll stick with that.” He added, shrugging. 

“Call me whatever you’d like.” Roy decided, his stern eyes softening when the two’s eyes met. 

“Okay then, bastard!” 

“Correction,” Roy began, an unamused look on his face, “Call me whatever you’d like, within reason.” 

A light chuckle rumbled through Ed, the laugh sounding awkward, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time. “Alright, alright.” 

The young alchemist led the two down another dark hallway, followed by a set of stairs. As they descended, Ed couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in disgust at the several rats that were feeding on the decaying corpses of past soldiers. “Sorry for the mess,” Ed apologized, stepping over a blue-eyed soldier, “I don’t come down here daily so I didn’t clear a path.” 

Roy eyed the decaying bodies with an upturned chin, frowning. “No worries,” He responded, mimicking Ed’s actions as he avoided trampling the corpses. “I wouldn’t have expected you to do something like that.” He finished, knowing from experience that corpses were never fun to move; their limp and broken bodies dragged awkwardly on the ground, while their dead, glazed eyes stared back at him, asking him silently why he was doing this to them. It was a memory he cared not to relive for long and pushed it back quickly. 

Ed hopped off the last step, and creaked open a door, pulling out the gun from his holster. When the door swung open, he held the gun in a readied position, close to his chest. When there was no movement, he let his muscles relax, and sheathed his weapon. “Alright, come on in.” He called back to Roy, who was resting still on the last step. He hopped down and entered the room, narrowing his eyes when Ed flipped on the light. There, were hundreds, if not thousands of weaponry, ranging from simple handguns to rifles and bullets for tanks. 

Roy looked impressed; he’d never been given the opportunity to enter the artillery storage when he worked at Central. His eyes drifted over to the blonde when he grabbed a few stacks of bullet casings tucking them into his arm. 

“You sure did pick the prime location to hide,” Roy complimented, his gaze sweeping from Ed to the entire room, marveling at the enormous room as Ed grabbed more artillery. 

“Yeah, I’ve got food, shelter, running water, and weapons.” Ed responded, grinning cheesily as he grabbed a hand gun from a rack and threw it to Roy, who caught it loosely, instinctively loading it and holding it so the barrel was pointed up. “The only problem I see is that because Central’s so big, the undead could find a way in and be undetected.” 

“Yeah, that happens occasionally. But it’s definitely better than being out in the streets all the time, too.” Ed admitted, scratching his head with his free hand, scuffing his boots against the pavement as he neared the entrance. “You got everything? Feel free to grab whatever.” Ed told Roy, watching as the man shook his head, and joined Ed at the entrance. 

“I’m content with this,” He murmured, motioning to the handgun.

“Alright. Then let’s get outta here.” Ed responded, allowing his former superior to exit first before he swung the door closed behind him, jogging up the stairs to catch up with Roy.


	5. Chapter 5

“So, no survivors, huh?” 

Roy let a sad smile spread across his face. “None that I came across, no. But you should keep in mind that I only searched part of the East.” Roy answered, his eyes darting to a side alley when there was a crash. The noise reverberated out into the street, an echo casting throughout the walls. 

Ed followed Roy’s gaze shortly after, his teeth clenching at the noise. “Already?” He whispered, his gaze shifting from the alley to Roy’s hand as he slowly drew his gun, making as little noise as possible. 

The noise sounded again, this time closer. Ed let out a small growl and trained his gun on the blackness, his heart thumping in his chest. To both of their relief’s, however, a white-tailed deer stumbled out of the alley, looking bewildered. Ed’s eyes grew, and then let a grin cover his face, chuckling. “Look Colonel, dinner.” He hissed, aiming his gun at the deer as it tried it’s best to regain itself. 

Roy glanced down at Ed, raising an eyebrow. “Are you really that desperate for meat?” Roy muttered, smirking as he turned his eyes back to face the deer. “I guess a chase wouldn’t hurt.” Roy snickered, watching as Ed grinned further and shot at the deer, running after it immediately after. 

“You won’t get away from me, you little bastard!” Ed shouted, watching as the deer bolted just before the bullet could make contact with its skin. He shot another bullet, watching as the deer bucked its back legs, whining. 

Roy hurriedly chased after Ed, impressed by how fast he still was. He was almost as fast as the deer, and although it looked wounded, that was impressive. He laughed at Ed’s determination and struggled to catch up, watching as the deer took a sharp right into a smaller road. Ed quickly scrambled after it, letting out a screech as he fired again, seeming to enjoy himself as the deer ran for its life. 

The deer was bounding and leaping off rubble and broken objects in the street, trying it’s best to flee from the alchemist that was quickly beginning to match the deer’s speed. The deer was becoming tired, but the running only seemed to energize Ed more as he shot a fourth time, moving to reload his gun as he ran, his pace faltering somewhat. “Come back here you damned deer!” Ed yelled, the rain that was falling soaking his entire body as he continued through it. 

“I would offer to roast it for you, Fullmetal, but I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Roy shouted to Ed, feeling his breath begin to deepen the more they ran. 

“Don’t worry about it! This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time!” Ed called back, finishing the reload. He then shot at it once more, grinning when he heard the shriek of the deer. It tumbled forward and struggled to get back to its feet, letting out another pitiful noise. Ed skidded to a halt and crouched down beside the deer, aiming his gun now at the heart of the deer. He shot a final time, and watched as the deer went limp, slumping in its final attempt to escape.

Roy caught up with Ed shortly after, out of breath as he leaned against the wall. “Nice..catch..” He wheezed, watching as Ed turned around to face his former superior, grinning. 

“Yeah, thanks.” Ed grinned, laughing at Roy as he kneeled over to try and regain his breath. “Not so easy in your age, I’m sure.” Ed snickered, feeling a whack on his head afterwards. 

Roy recoiled his hand and glared at Ed, rolling his eyes. “Shut-up. You’ve just got supernatural running skills.” He scowled, taking another deep breath before he stood up straight, fixing his soaking jacket, and the wet, black hair that covered his eyes. 

“Supernatural, huh?” Ed repeated, raising an eyebrow as he grinned wider. “I’m flattered, Colonel.” He announced, unable to repress a snicker when Roy moved his long bangs out of his eyes. Ed shook his head, water droplets flying off his golden locks, and onto the pavement. “Alright, how’re we gonna get this guy home?”   
Roy finished running his hand through his hair, and glanced over at the limp figure, frowning. “I hadn’t thought of that.” Roy responded, looking puzzled now as he began to think. 

Ed scratched his head and sheathed the gun, frowning. “I could probably make a wheelbarrow out of the rubble, but then again that would be pretty heavy too.” Ed suggested, picking up a small piece of rubble next to him, weighing it. “I’d say it’d be about an additional thirty pounds.”

“That’ll work. Try and see what you can come up with.” Roy commanded, watching as Ed gathered up as much rubble as he could find. He then clapped his hands and pressed them to the individual pieces, which melted into one, smoothly carved wheelbarrow. Ed stood up and let out a huff, feeling somewhat lightheaded from the energy it’d consumed. “There, how’s that?” He breathed, watching as Roy inspected the wheelbarrow. 

“It looks good, Fullmetal.” Roy complimented, a smug look on his face as he neared the younger alchemist, ruffling his hair. “You didn’t even go too far with detail, like usual.” He snickered. 

“Yeah, thanks.” Ed muttered, growling somewhat when he felt his hair ruffled, but, at the same time he enjoyed it. He hadn’t had human contact in forever, and getting physical praise from Roy, especially, was nice. 

“Alright Mustang, help me load up the deer.” Ed called to Roy, moving into a better position as he slid his hands under the bristled fur of the deer. Roy did the same, only on the other side, and raised his eyes to meet Ed’s. “On three.” Roy breathed. 

“One. Two. Three!” 

The two hauled the deer into the air, and dropped it into the wheelbarrow, a small grunt leaving Ed’s lips as the weight strained his wounds. Thankfully, the wheelbarrow sustained the deer’s weight, and Roy took charge of it, beginning to wheel it as he motioned for Ed to follow. 

“It’s only fair that if you caught it, I get to bring it back.” 

“Whatever you say, old man, it’s less work for me.” Ed shrugged, quickly dodging the blow that Roy tried to land on the smaller alchemist at the mention of his age. Ed grinned and slapped Roy on the back, snickering. “Come on, let’s get back home. I’m starved!”


	6. Chapter 6

“Looks like we’ll be having deer a lot,” Ed announced, finishing off the last piece of meat, ripping it with his teeth. “It sure hits the spot!” 

Roy was still eating his, his etiquette less messy and more proper. Once he’d swallowed, he raised an eyebrow at Ed, smiling. “I’m still surprised you managed to outrun the deer.” He commented taking another bite of the seared meat. 

“Yeah, well, what can I say?” Ed shrugged, wiping his mouth. “I’m glad you’re around, you’re like my own personal stove!” Ed joked, ruffling Roy’s hair as he walked past him to set the plate down on the other side of the room. 

Roy ducked his head out of the way when Ed began to ruffle his hair, grumbling. “Yeah, that’s my only use.” Roy muttered, rolling his eyes. “Hey, put this over there, will you?” Roy asked once he’d taken his last bite, outstretching the plate for Ed to take. Ed snatched it out of Roy’s hands and set it on top of his, stretching. 

“Man, I could really use a massage, my muscles are killing me..” Ed frowned, throwing himself back down onto the couch next to Roy.

Roy raised an eyebrow at the kid and smirked. “I agree. Why don’t we make a deal? I massage you if you’ll do the same?” Roy asked, nonchalantly scratching at a bare hand as he awaited the young man’s answer. 

Ed looked bewildered. “Are you serious? You’d do that? Hell yeah!” Ed exclaimed, a bright look replacing the previously bored expression. “Can I take my shirt off and everything?” Ed asked, moving to remove the cloth that was on his top, itching to get it off. 

Roy let out a light laugh, nodding. “Sure. Just tell me when you’re ready.” He told Ed, watching closely as the younger man removed his shirt, taking in the physique of the alchemist. All of the ridges and curves of Ed were devoured by Roy’s dark eyes, memorizing them. He was snapped out of his trance when Ed nudged him, his head tilted. “I’m ready.” 

“Good. Turn around.” 

Ed did as he was told, and turned to face the wall to the side of the couch, letting his shoulders relax. “If you’ll just be gentle with my back wound, that would be great.” Ed told Roy, turning his head slightly to ensure Roy heard him. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll work around it.” Roy reassured his former subordinate, grabbing the golden ponytail and casting it over the young man’s shoulder, keeping it away from his back. He then cracked his knuckles and placed his warm hands on Ed’s shoulders, smiling when he heard a gasp leave Ed. 

“How are your hands that warm?” Ed asked, a shiver running down his back from the sudden temperature change. 

Roy began to massage Ed’s shoulders, rubbing deep to ensure he would loosen the muscles that were tight. “I’ve always been what some people would call, a heat bomb.” Roy told Ed, smiling when he heard the low rumbled groan from Ed at the pressure he was applying to his shoulders. “I’m always this warm.” 

“Well, it feels damn good..I’m always cold..” Ed murmured, groaning again when a tight muscle was loosened by Roy’s fingers, letting a sigh follow the groan. Each time Roy applied pressure and rubbed his shoulders he let out a small noise, unable to them from happening. “Damn..your hands are magical.” Ed breathed, letting out a sigh when he felt another muscle loosen. 

Roy chuckled at the compliment, and began to work his way down Ed’s back, his strong hands massaging deep into Ed’s skin. “It’s probably from all of that paperwork.” Roy joked, feeling a tight knot in the crease of Ed’s shoulder blade. He frowned and began to work at it, using his thumb to try and loosen it. 

“Ri-i-i-ahh..oww..” Ed hissed, tensing when Roy began to work at the knot. “What is that?” 

“A knot, and a pretty big one too. That couch must not be doing you must justice to sleep on.” Roy observed, pausing in his movements when Ed let out another hiss. “Do you need me to stop?” 

“No, no, just..do it. Hard.” Ed breathed, a small whimper escaping his lips when he felt a hard thumb press up into his shoulder blade, massaging the knot. He grabbed onto his pant-legs and bowed his head, grunting. 

Roy gritted his teeth, amazed at how stubborn the knot was. He eventually got it to loosen, and released the pressure immediately, knowing he was pressing hard. He heard the sigh come from Ed, and began to work gentle again, applying enough pressure to loosen knots, but not enough to hurt Ed. 

Ed was relieved when the pressure ceased, and slumped in his posture, his muscles relaxing again. The rhythmic motions Roy was making were soothing, and he found himself drifting off, content in the warm hands of Roy. 

Roy didn’t bother to wake the younger alchemist up; he figured he could use all the sleep he could get. When it had been about an hour, Roy ceased his movements, and moved his hand up to Ed’s shoulder, shaking him lightly. “Ed.” He murmured quietly, a small smile leaving the older man when Ed shifted, mumbling incoherently.

Seeing his former subordinate like this reminded him of the times before the world had succumbed to the undead. Frequently Roy would look up from his papers to see Ed sprawled out on his favorite couch, fast asleep. At times, it was annoying because he had unfinished work that he needed to be doing, but other times it was something to smile about. Late at night when everybody, including the lieutenant had gone home, Ed would still be asleep on the couch, and Roy would be finishing up his paperwork, nothing left but to listen to the mumbled words Ed would let escape his lips. Roy figured at first they were random words, not meant to be put together for a meaning, but after several weeks of the same occurrence, he noticed he was describing his dreams. Roy pretended not to notice, but his name was mentioned more than a few times in the lapse of Ed’s sleepy rambles. 

He decided to let Ed sleep instead, figuring that even if he did wake up, he would be too out of it to do anything. Being as careful as possible, he wrapped his fingers around Ed’s shoulders, and moved him to lie down on the couch, propping a pillow underneath his head. He moved his legs out from under him and into a better position, and threw the blanket that was draped over the couch onto Ed. He then gently removed the hairband from Ed’s hair, letting it loosely drape around the pillow, knowing Ed would wake with a headache if he kept the tightly pulled ponytail in all night. After he was satisfied with Ed’s position, he moved over to the wall, flicking the lights off, and moving over to the other couch, where he positioned himself to sleep, the moonlight casting dark shadows in the former office.


	7. Chapter 7

“Ed, come on, it’s late.” 

Ed groaned at the disoriented voice, and turned in his bed, furrowing his eyebrows. He felt something warm on his shoulder, and shrugged it off, grunting. 

“Ed. Come on.” 

Ed groaned louder and buried his head into the fabric of the couch, shaking his head. “No..” He mumbled, wanting nothing more but to lay in bed for the rest of the day. He wasn’t even sure who he was talking to, but he wanted them to go away. 

“Alright, you’ve given me no choice. Come here.” Roy muttered, throwing the blankets off of Ed once he refused a second time. He grabbed the man’s waist, and hauled him up and out of the couch, ignoring the gasp that left Ed’s mouth when he threw him over his shoulder. “Come on.” He told Ed lowly, who looked confused and shocked. 

“Roy! W-what the hell?” He shrieked, feeling a red color rush to his cheeks as he began to squirm in the strong hold. 

“I would advise you to keep still, Fullmetal.” Roy muttered, a small smirk to his face as he began out the door, and down the stairs. 

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Ed shouted, his squirming beginning to fade the longer he struggled. He knew by now there was no escaping his former superior’s grasp and went limp, sighing. 

“I’m taking you to the shower. You do want to shower, don’t you?” Roy asked, raising an eyebrow as he moved his gaze over to Ed, who growled. 

“Yes, but I could’ve walked there myself.” Ed pointed out, a harsh blush still spread across his face. “I’ve got legs you know.” He muttered, letting his head hang as they neared the shower room. When they were at the door, Roy let Ed slide off his shoulder and onto the floor, a cocky smile to the older man’s face. “Your shower awaits.” He announced, outstretching a hand to the door as he bowed to the younger man. 

Ed rolled his eyes and adjusted himself once he was on the floor, stretching. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.” He murmured, punching Roy lightly in the chest as he walked through the doorway, and into the shower room. After a second, he poked his head back out, and raised an eyebrow. “You coming or what?”

Roy laughed and stumbled back from the punch, smirking. “Sure I did.” Once Ed was in the room, he took a minute to stretch himself, opening an eye when Ed peeked his head back out. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” He assured Ed, finishing his stretch as he entered the room with Ed, closing the door behind them. 

~~ 

After their patrol around Central, the two headed back to the office, both looking exhausted. Roy was the first to fall down on the couch, followed quickly by Ed, who fell on top of Roy’s lap, groaning. 

“So..tired..” He moaned, adjusting his head so that he could be more comfortable, moving closer to Roy’s body. 

“Perhaps we should just..go to bed.” Roy agreed, letting his head hang back as he tried to soak in the delightful feeling of sitting. He let his hand rest on top of Ed’s head, giving it a small ruffle before he gave up, too tired for much movement. 

Ed nodded slowly, his eyes already beginning to close. “Dibs on..Mustang’s lap..” He murmured, quickly succumbing to sleep as fast as he had fallen on top of Roy. 

Roy raised his head and glanced down at the sleeping teenager, and let a small smile escape his lips, feeling like he was about to fall asleep himself. He grabbed the pillow from the edge of the couch and propped it behind his head, leaning it back again as he let himself drift off into sleep, his hand remaining on Ed’s golden head.


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks had gone by, and the two continued their daily routine. Days that it wasn’t storming the two stayed out the longest, using Mustang’s flame alchemy any chance they got. Ever since Roy had shown up in the city, there had been less undead sightings. It was as if they were hiding. 

Roy had just finished incinerating the last undead of the day, letting out a sigh as it fell to the ground in a black heap. 

“Nice one!” Ed shouted, punching Roy in the shoulder as he congratulated Roy. “That should be it for today, right?” Ed asked, glancing up at Roy as he awaited an answer. 

“Thanks.” Roy chuckled, wrapping his arm around Ed’s waist as he pulled him closer, running his gloved hand up and down his side quickly. “Yeah, that should be it.” He confirmed, releasing his hold as he turned around, fixing his glove. “That was more than the usual.” Roy observed, frowning as he began to walk back towards their base. 

“Yeah,” Ed agreed, frowning at the mention. “Wonder what’s up?” He thought out loud, following his former superior as he wondered why these strange patterns were showing up. “First there were less of them, and now today there’s suddenly more?” 

“I must admit, that is an unusual pattern.” Roy agreed, his eyes scanning each and every alley way that the two passed to confirm that they hadn’t missed any spots. 

“Yeah, but I guess we can’t do much about it.” Ed admitted, letting his arms stretch over his head. “My back’s feeling better already. I can hardly tell there’s a wound there.” Ed noted, grinning at Roy when he made eye contact with the older man. 

“Good, at least we know you won’t be turning into a zombie now.” Roy smirked, nudging Ed in the side with his elbow. 

“Yeah, some zombie I’d be.” Ed laughed, both hands moving down instinctively when Roy nudged him, jumping. “Come on, you know I’m ticklish there!” 

“I’m aware. And that’s precisely why I did it, Fullmetal.” Roy snickered, Central Command now in plain view as the two talked. 

“You’re cruel.” Ed pouted, leaping forward when Roy tried to grab his waist again, laughing. “Can’t catch me that way.” He taunted, sticking out his tongue. 

“Is that so?” Roy asked, raising an eyebrow as he began to pick up his pace. “Then maybe I’ll just have to catch you like this.” As soon as he finished his sentence he broke off in a run, outstretching an arm to grab at Ed’s shirt as soon as it was in reach, but Ed had already taken off, and was far ahead from Roy.

“Nice try, bastard!” 

“Come back here!” 

Roy had to admit that Ed had won that one. They’d arrived at Central Command in less than two minutes because of their running, and had made it inside once Roy had caught up with Ed, who slugged him in the shoulder for ‘making him run so far’. 

Back in the office, Ed was sitting on top of Roy’s lap with a stupid grin on his face, while Roy was fighting with the alchemist’s golden locks, grumbling. “How do you do it again? Three sections..first the right, then the middle?” Roy mumbled, trying to run over the procedure again out loud. 

“No. You have three sections,” Ed moved his hands to the back of his head, showing Roy once more. He grabbed and separated his hair into three sections, holding all three in his hands. “And then you move one over the middle, so that strand becomes the middle. It doesn’t matter which one you do first, left or right.” Ed explained, demonstrating afterwards. And then you take the other section, and cross that over so that strand is now the middle. Got it?” Ed asked, his hair forming a loose braid after he was done. He then unraveled it, and let his hair sprawl out again. “Your turn.” 

Roy ran over Ed’s instructions, and then nodded to himself, sighing. “Okay.” He took Ed’s golden hair, and separated it into three sections, and began to follow his instructions, making sure each cross over was neat and perfect. Occasionally, Roy would tug a little too tight, and Ed would yelp. “Sorry..” He would murmur, trying to be more careful. After about five minutes, Roy finally crossed the last section, and leaned his head over close to Ed’s ear. “Hairband?” He requested, to which a hand moved and removed a band from their wrists, handing it to the older man. “Thanks.” He tied the band around the last section of Ed’s hair that was unbraided, and gave it a small tug, to make sure it wouldn’t fall out. “There..is that right?” Roy asked hopefully. 

Ed reached his hands behind his head again and felt the weaved pattern of his hair, smiling. “Feels right to me,” Ed approved, chuckling. “Nice work Mustang, now you know how to braid hair.” He teased, turning around in Roy’s lap to face him. “And it only took you two tries!” 

“Oh shut-up.” Roy mumbled, an ever so small blush forming on his cheeks. 

Ed couldn’t help but snicker, noticing the faint red in the older man’s face. He shifted his hands, which were on the couch, to rest on each of Roy’s legs, moving his forehead to connect with Roy’s. “So. What now?” He asked, his mind racing as he thought of another activity they could do in their spare time. 

Roy wasn’t expecting the two hands on his upper thighs and couldn’t help but glance down. When he looked back up, he found Ed’s face to be pressed up against his through their foreheads, and he blinked in surprise. “What’re you in the mood for?” 

Ed shrugged, shifting his weight on the older man. “I dunno. If we had movies here I’d suggest that, I’m sure there’s a tv around here somewhere.” He murmured, frowning. “Although I don’t know if the generator could give that much power. It’s already giving us lights for this room and some others.” 

Roy nodded, his eyes gazing directly into Ed’s golden irises. “I’m still just happy you’re alive.” He admitted, a smirk spreading across his face when he noticed surprise flicker in the young man’s eyes. 

“Are you now? Well that’s a good thing. I wouldn’t want you happy that I’m dead.” Ed joked, grinning widely at the black-haired man. 

Roy rolled his eyes, blowing air into Ed’s face. “Yes, we wouldn’t want that.” Roy chuckled, moving his arms to wrap around the young alchemist, smirking. Once his hands found Ed’s waist, he gave him a tight squeeze, smirking. 

Ed lifted an eyebrow at the hug, feeling color flush to his cheeks. “Are you trying to flirt with me, Mustang?” Ed challenged, a small but nervous chuckle escaping Ed’s lips. 

“Perhaps I am, Fullmetal.” Roy responded in the same carefree tone, lifting his eyebrows. “Or perhaps not.” He added, smirking. 

“Well, which one is it?” Ed asked, bonking him on the forehead with his own, his eyebrows furrowing. 

Roy shifted his hold on Ed, hugging him tighter. “Why don’t you get in a more comfortable position first, you’re kind of cutting off the circulation in my legs.” Roy suggested, feeling the numbness slowly conquer his legs. 

“Oh, sorry ‘bout that.” Ed laughed, switching his position so that he was straddling Roy’s legs. “Better?” He asked, a small blush to his face as Roy brought him closer. 

“Yeah, much better, thanks.” Roy told Ed, his signature smirk appearing on his lips again. 

Ed rolled his eyes and moved in close again, closing his eyes this time as they made contact by their foreheads. “I’m tired..can we just sleep?” Ed asked, feeling his muscles begin to shut down as he grew more and more fatigued. 

Roy let a sympathetic smile run across his face, and he nodded, moving Ed’s head up and down with his. “Sure. Shouldn’t you get in a more comfortable position first?” Roy suggested, figuring this wouldn’t be the best position to sleep in. 

“Mmm..sure.” Ed mumbled, slowly clambering off Roy. When he stood up, he stretched, yawning. “Can you lay down first? I’m sleeping on the couch with you tonight.” Ed stated, which caught Roy by surprise. 

“Are you now? You don’t think the couch is too small?” 

“Whatever, then we can sleep on the floor. I keep getting cold at night.” He mumbled, rubbing an eye. “And you said that you’re a heat bomb. So.” 

Roy chuckled and stood up, nodding. “Alright then, we’ll just have to sleep on the floor. Help me gather some blankets and pillows.” Roy commanded, watching as the tired alchemist scuffed his feet over to the other couch, snatching the pillows and blankets from the empty seats.

Once they had made the makeshift bed, Roy slipped into it, followed by Ed. “Lift your arm up.” Ed commanded, to which Roy obeyed, lifting his right arm. Ed moved into Roy’s hold, and sighed, pressing against the warm body. “Okay, you can put it back down.” He murmured, feeling the warm arm wrap around his stomach. 

“Is this comfortable for you?” Roy asked the sleepy Ed, who in response nodded. “Mhm.” 

“Alright. Goodnight Ed.” 

“G’nite Roy.” 

~~ 

Morning arrived, and Ed was the first to wake. He stretched slowly, feeling warm muscles up against his own. He turned his head around slightly, smiling sleepily when he saw the sleeping face of Roy Mustang, who was still holding Ed. He turned his head back around and closed his eyes, figuring he would wait until he woke up on his own. 

He didn’t have to wait long – about five minutes later, he could feel Roy stirring, his breaths becoming more shallow and small noises leaving his lips. It wasn’t until he felt something warm on his neck that he moved himself. He turned his head to meet Roy’s eyes, which were now open, his lips leaving Ed’s neck. “Good morning.” Roy murmured, eyeing Ed curiously for a response. 

“Morning.” Ed muttered lazily, letting his head thud back down onto the pillow. 

Roy smiled sleepily at the young alchemist and moved his head forward to kiss Ed’s neck again, releasing it softly. 

Ed felt a cold shiver run down his entire body, his eyes closing as he felt a smile spread onto his face. He snuggled closer to Roy’s warm chest, and let out a sigh, the warmth of his former superior beginning to lull him to sleep once more. 

Roy didn’t complain; he continued to kiss Ed lightly on the neck, delighted by the sounds and movements Ed would make in response to the warm kisses. After a while, he noticed Ed was on the brink of unconsciousness, and moved his hand to shake his shoulder. “Ed, time to get up.” He coaxed softly, feeling a small moan rumble through the smaller alchemist. Roy moved in closer and kissed Ed’s cheek, poking him in the same spot. “C’mon. You can’t sleep all day. We’ve got things to do.” 

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Ed mumbled, his left eye opening when there was a kiss placed on his cheek. He let out a sigh, and began to push up, raising his body.   
Roy moved out of his way when he started to get up, rolling over flat on his back. He felt a stretch coming on, and outstretched his arms, his core shaking as he let the feeling pass. He then yawned and sat up, glancing over at the younger alchemist. “Ready?” He asked, letting a small smile rest on his lips when Ed rubbed his eye sleepily. 

“Yeah, sure.” Ed muttered, feeling the back of his head for the braid. Amazingly, it was still intact. “Nice handiwork, Roy. The braid stayed in nice overnight,” Ed complimented, grinning at the black-haired man. 

Roy chuckled and found his way to his feet, the blankets falling off of him. “At least that means you won’t have to redo it, then.” Roy told Ed, moving towards his artillery. 

Ed followed him quickly, nodding. “Yup. Saves me time, y’know?”


	9. Chapter 9

“Mustang, behind you!” 

A single snap sounded, followed by a roaring flame that cast its way behind the source and around an undead, sizzling it on the spot. Ed had to brace himself in order to sustain the heat, grunting. The charred mass fell to the ground with a thud, and Roy let out a sigh, lowering his hand. 

“Thanks.” He murmured, moving to run a hand through his hair. 

Ed smirked and slapped Roy on the back, chuckling. “Not a problem, bastard.” He replied, looking left and right as the two inspected the rest of the roadway. “I think that’s it.” Ed claimed, moving to turn back towards Central Command. Roy nodded and led the way, already a few steps ahead of Ed. 

“Now that you’re here, I feel like I hardly get to use my gun, it’s all flames.” Ed commented, a smug look on his face. Roy rolled his eyes, adjusting his glove out of habit. “Yes, well, it’s better that way isn’t it? Pulling the trigger is never fun.” 

“Yeah, I guess so—“ Ed’s sentence cut off abruptly, and Roy frowned, turning around. 

Ed was gone. 

“Edward?!” Roy shouted, his hand immediately raising, preparing his fingers to strike at a moment’s notice. He felt his chest tighten, concern quickly rising up in him. Where had he gone? 

Roy glanced over to the right and noticed a small alleyway, and quickly darted towards the unlit path, his boots skidding on the uneven pavement when he arrived at the entrance. He stepped his way in, listening for any signs of Ed as he pushed forwards. “Edward?” Roy called again, doing his best to keep his voice low and calm. 

Roy heard a small noise, and turned his head quickly, running towards the sound. It had come from deeper within the alley. He snapped a small flame on his fingers, providing light to the black abyss as he followed the noise, hearing it become louder. When the noise was in front of him, he skidded to a halt, seeing white and red, followed by gold and black. To his horror, there was an undead holding Ed from behind, one hand covering Ed’s mouth as it bit into his left shoulder. There were tears of pain in Ed’s eyes, and he let out another muffled scream at the sight of Roy, kicking his feet frantically as he tried to yank away from the undead. 

Roy quickly shook himself out of the shock, and grabbed his gun with his left hand, aiming it at the head of the undead. He then decided against it, the risk too high for hitting Ed. He lowered it to the undead’s exposed foot, and shot, watching in relief as the soldier released its grip on Ed’s shoulder to scream. Ed took the instant to rip away, thrusting the pale, cold hand out of the way. As soon as the shot was clear, Roy shot a bullet into its head to buy time, and then snapped his fingers, the flame at his fingers diminishing, being replaced by an outburst of heat that surrounded the undead’s skin. It screamed and writhed, its eye moving around frantically as it tried to comprehend the pain, curling into a defensive ball. Within seconds, the figure grew motionless, the screams dying along with the fire.

When Roy was certain it was dead, he rushed over to Ed, kneeling down. “Ed, are you okay?” He breathed, moving to inspect the wound. 

“I’m..fine..let’s just get out..” Ed hissed, bringing his right hand to cover the bloodied flesh. “We can..deal with it when..we get back..” He whispered, moving to stand. 

Roy instantly moved to help him, hoisting him up by the waist. “Come on. There could be more.” Roy told Ed quietly, doing his best to keep his voice down in case his assumptions were true. “This way. Hurry.” Roy commanded, taking Ed’s free hand as he began to lead him out the way he had come. 

When the two ran out of the alley, they headed towards Central Command, Roy urging Ed to run as fast as he could. “Just a little further.” Roy promised, his teeth clenching when he heard the snarls of undead behind them.

Ed turned his head and growled at the sight of more undead, lifting his hand off of his wound, and towards his gun. He aimed it behind him, and shot at the heads of two, watching as they both crumpled. The remaining undead was still advancing and Ed shot that one too, it falling to the ground as it screamed. The other two were beginning to get up, and Ed cursed to himself, turning his head back around. “We need to hurry.” Ed hissed, his ears still ringing from the crack of the gunshots. 

Roy nodded, and held Ed’s hand tighter, quickening their pace. They arrived at the front stairs, and Roy quickly began to ascend them, still gripping Ed’s hand. “Keep up with me, Ed!” Roy shouted behind him, hearing the sound of feet scramble behind him, relieved Ed could still keep his pace. 

“Roy..” Ed croaked, his vision beginning to blur now as the wound bled out, his pace faltering slightly. He tried his best to keep up with Roy, but it was hard. He tripped on one of the stairs, and felt as his chin made contact with the concrete, yelping. He felt Roy’s hand yank him, and watched as Roy stumbled, glancing behind him. “Ed!” He cried, his head raising from the blonde to the three undead that were climbing the stairs just as fast as they had been. “Come on, please, get up.” Roy begged the younger alchemist, who was struggling to his feet. 

“Dammit..” Ed hissed, feeling a rush of dizziness overcome him. He felt a glove grab his hand, and then his waist, and before he knew it, he was airborne. Within seconds, Roy was carrying Ed up the long stairway, sweat beginning to bead at his forehead. “They can’t get in..” Roy hissed, having to exert more energy to climb with the added weight. 

Ed glanced up at the blurry figure of Roy, feeling his world begin to blacken. He groaned quietly and let his head fall back, his eyes fluttering closed as he heard the sound of a man yelling. 

~~ 

Ed awoke with a headache to greet him, along with the stench of blood. He groaned and moved a hand up to his head, feeling a soft couch underneath him. He raised his head weakly, assessing his surroundings. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed it was the office, and coughed, shuddering at the pain it brought. 

“Edward?” 

Ed’s eyes darted over to the disembodied voice, smiling weakly when he saw the black-haired man. 

“..Hey.” He croaked, feeling a warm hand press up against his cheek. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Roy asked him quietly, kneeling down to face the younger man. 

“Couldn’t be better..” Ed wheezed, his eyes moving to the scrapes and cuts on Roy’s face, along with the rips in his shirt. “What happened to you?” 

“I tripped up a few times,” Roy answered vaguely, giving Ed a masked face to go with the answer. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.” He added, brushing back the golden bangs of Ed. “I cleaned out the wound for you and wrapped it. You should be fine.” Roy informed Ed, letting a small smile replace his mask. “The undead are gone too. Turned into ash.” 

“Of course they are.” Ed snorted, his gaze moving to the white bandages around his shoulder. “Thank you.” Ed replied, moving a hand to cup around his chin. “It’s bruised, isn’t it?” He murmured, watching as Roy’s smile grew. 

“Not too badly.” 

“Well, as long as it didn’t break anything.” Ed shrugged, wincing. “Shouldn’t have done that,” He spoke through gritted teeth, hissing. “Ouch.” 

“You need to be careful; it tore pretty deep.” Roy warned, moving the hand from Ed’s cheek to his bandaging, a finger coasting over the location. “I’m sorry.” Roy apologized quietly, his gaze becoming dark. 

“What’re you sorry for?” 

“I should have been more careful. I should have kept a better watch on you.” Roy murmured, his eyes moving to the side, so Ed couldn’t gaze into them. 

“You dumbass. It wasn’t your fault. It came out of nowhere, and kept me from making any noise.” Ed muttered, his golden eyes rolling. “For a guy as smart as you, you sure can be stupid.” 

Roy’s face dropped, and he sighed, ruffling the blonde’s hair. “Why don’t you get some rest?” He suggested, his eyes moving back to meet with Ed’s. “It’s rather late.” 

Ed let out a ragged sigh, and let his head fall back down onto the pillow, groaning. “Fine.” He mumbled, the angry look on his face melting when he felt a soft peck on the cheek. 

“Goodnight Ed.” 

“Night.”


	10. Chapter 10

“How’s the wound holding up?” 

Ed turned his head to meet those dark eyes, and smiled, kissing Roy gently on the lips. “It’s a lot better.” He murmured, unable to hide a smile when he felt a warm arm press him into a bare chest. 

“Good. How long’s it been since that happened again?” 

“About a week?” Ed estimated, kissing the bare chest of his former superior. He pressed his face in further, and let out a sigh through his nose, smiling wider. “Can we just say in bed today?” Ed questioned quietly, his words muffled through Roy’s chest. 

Roy raised an eyebrow at the muffled request, and chuckled, grinning as the young man shivered from the vibration. “I would prefer that.” Roy admitted, letting out a sigh. “But we both know that’s impossible.” 

Ed let out a small whine and pushed even further up against Roy, grunting. “Well then how about we just lie here for a little while longer?” Ed asked, moving his hand to graze over Roy’s abdomen. He was delighted when Roy shivered against Ed’s cold hand, and couldn’t help but laugh, grinning. He took his head away from Roy’s chest, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, hoping he would agree to more time. 

Roy let out a small gasp when he felt the cold hand run up his abdomen, and shuddered quietly, smirking down at Ed. “More time? Is that what you want? Alright. I suppose a few minutes can’t hurt anything.” 

~~

“We need to make a plan.” Roy murmured to Ed, who was sitting across the small coffee table in the office. 

“I know. Have you noticed they’ve been, how do I say it..they’re..” 

“Evolving? Yes. I’ve noticed. Remember the way that one soldier grabbed you and dragged you into the alley all while keeping you completely silent?” Roy recalled, his hands folded over one another like he always did. 

Ed nodded, his hand grazing over the recent wound as Roy talked. “Yeah. So what? This plan, is it going to wipe them all out, or something?” 

“Well, first we need to figure out where they’re centrally located. They’ve got to have a hive, or a base of some sort.” Roy deduced, his eyebrows furrowing as he began to think. “If we can locate that spot, then we’ll be able to attack and wipe them out. Maybe then we’ll be able to have a chance at living life normally for a while.” Roy explained, his dark eyes meeting with Ed’s golden irises. 

“Sounds good to me. But it’ll take forever to figure out where they’re located. You know how big Central is.” Ed objected, frowning. 

“But remember, Fullmetal. We’ve been spotting them mostly on one particular street.” Roy interrupted, a small smirk forming. “I’ve got a hunch their base isn’t too far from there. That removes the majority of Central off of our searching list.” 

“True.” Ed agreed, nodding. “So what, we just start searching buildings for a nest?” Ed asked, frowning. “Sounds kind of dangerous.” 

“Can you think of any better ideas?” Roy asked, a small frown replacing the smirk he once wore.

Ed was silent for a moment, before he sighed, letting his head hang slightly. “No.”

“Besides, it’s a small sacrifice for a lot of freedom.” Roy reminded Ed, a smile forming now. “Which means maybe we’ll be able to enjoy ourselves more.” 

Ed felt a blush run over his face and he nodded, flustered. “R-right. Okay.” 

Roy gave a light laugh at the deep blush on Ed’s face, a smug grin replacing the smile. “What’s the matter Fullmetal? Do you have a problem with our relationship?” Roy taunted, watching Ed grow even more flustered. 

“No, I don’t! It’s just the way you worded it, that’s all!” He objected, pointing a finger at Roy as he tried to keep his embarrassment in. 

“Pointing at me isn’t going to solve anything, Ed.” Roy stated smugly, grinning wider when the younger alchemist’s face turned as red as a tomato. 

“Whatever! Let’s just think of this stupid plan already!” 

~~ 

Ed climbed down the ruined building, grabbing onto the nearby vines that were hanging off of the walls. He hopped down onto the road, and glanced up to see Roy following him, jumping down beside him. 

“That’s not it either.” Ed muttered, looking frustrated. “That’s the tenth building we’ve checked, Mustang, and still nothing!” He exclaimed, sighing loudly.   
“I know, Ed, but we’ve got to keep looking.” Roy told his former subordinate, furrowing his eyebrows. “The next building on our list is this one.” Roy murmured, pointing to a rather large warehouse. “Seems like a plausible hideout.” Roy murmured, his feet beginning to move towards the white building, black boots scuffing against the pavement. “Are you coming?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” Ed muttered, running to catch up with Roy. He fell in line, and gave the warehouse a once over, sighing. “Alright, let’s get this over with. I’m sick of walking into these buildings. We’re as blind as a bat in this darkness.” Ed sighed, following Roy’s motions as he crouched down, entering through one of the holes in the side of the building. Once they were in, both were completely silent. This was a routine they had to practice, or else any nearby soldiers would come running. Ed went to the left; Roy to the right. 

From what Roy could tell, this was all one large room, used for storing war vehicles, or perhaps it was strictly for goods. No matter the reason, that made searching for the soldiers harder, and easier. He advanced to the right, keeping a sharp ear out for any sudden noises, his eyes useless for now as they adjusted to the dim light.

Ed’s right hand rested on the hilt of his gun, ready for any sort of sudden ambush. He froze when he heard a small clicking noise, but let his breath go when he recognized it to just be his own belt. He needed to keep quiet. 

Roy’s eyes were beginning to adjust – his eyes had always been able to adjust well – shapes and shadow now visible to the older alchemist. He moved forward, stepping over a piece of rubble on the ground as he advanced. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a faint outline of something, and kept his eyes trained on it, his head tilting slightly. 

Ed was still in the dark, unable to see much of anything. He could, however, tell that he was coming up on a wall, and pressed his hand to it, turning to the right to begin the march down the next section of the building. 

Roy’s heart skipped a beat when he was close enough to realize what the outline truly was. Hundreds, no, thousands, of soldiers. 

Standing. 

Waiting. 

Watching.

Roy snapped his head to the side, unsure of how to signal Ed. They needed to get out, and fast. Thinking of the best way to signal Ed, he turned his gaze back to the only light in the room, the entrance. He snapped his fingers and created a flame next to the door, before he instantly began to dart towards the exit, cussing to himself when he heard the scuttle of hundreds of feet all at once. It was revolting. 

Ed snapped his head to the right when he heard a snap, and watched as a flame formed at the entrance of the warehouse. He frowned, realizing quickly that it was a signal to leave. Without questioning it, he began to run, hearing the hundreds of thumps in the room. It felt like an earthquake. He ran as fast as he could, the exit not approaching fast enough. 

Roy was nearly at the exit, but there was still no sign of Ed in his view as he neared the white light from the outside world. At the last moment, he noticed a dark figure sprint across his vision, and he let out a sigh of relief, watching as the younger alchemist made it out before him. He quickly crouched and began to move out of the warehouse himself, but let out a strangled yell when he felt hands grab at his feet, sending his balance and body off. 

Ed turned around quickly when he didn’t see Roy outside, and smiled when he noticed the adult moving quickly out of the warehouse, but watched to his horror as he stopped and toppled over. He was being dragged back. “Roy!” He gasped, grabbing onto one of Roy’s gloved hands as he began to pull, his teeth gritting together. “C’mon, you gotta help me!” He hissed through his teeth, watching as Roy did his best to kick at the undead. 

Roy let out another yell when he felt something in his leg twist, and a scream when sharp teeth made contact with his calf. He twisted his front and used his free hand to snap a spark, engulfing the soldier who was biting him. The undead quickly released himself, the fire only grazing Roy as he was swiftly pulled out, the soldiers all hissing and moaning within the walls. The two toppled back onto the pavement from the force Ed had pulled Roy out of, both coughing and gasping.   
“Roy, Roy!” Ed cried, scrambling to his former superior as he inspected his leg quickly, cringing at the bloody mess. “You moron.” He hissed, quickly helping him to his feet as the undead attempted to escape the building all at once. 

Roy let out a small groan, accepting Ed’s help when he tried to stand. “Let’s go.” Roy muttered, wrapping an arm around Ed’s neck so he could use the smaller alchemist as support. They needed to leave as quickly as possible, or else the situation could become a whole lot worse. 

Thankfully, Ed was able to drag Roy back home, and up the stairs, to their safe office. He laid the older man down on their makeshift bed on the floor, and let out a sigh, grabbing bandages and peroxide. “I thought only I was allowed to get hurt.” Ed muttered, taking a rag as he began to pour the peroxide on, gently scrubbing at the corners of the wound. 

Roy let out a hissing noise through his teeth, grimacing. “I’m not invincible, you know.” Roy cringed, the rag moving over a singe on his leg. “Careful. I got myself with my flames.” Roy murmured, which only made Ed throw the rag at his former superior’s face, the wet cloth making a “whap” when it hit his face. “You idiot.” He muttered, yanking the towel back when Roy removed it from his face. He dabbed at the center of his wound gingerly, making sure to properly clean it out, before he began to wrap it, keeping the wrappings loose around his burn. 

“There.” He muttered once he was done, his hand running up from Roy’s leg to his stomach, sighing. “Well..now we know.” Ed breathed, a sad smile growing on his face. 

Roy returned the smile, taking Ed’s small hand into his warm, large hand. “Yes. Now we know.” He repeated, gently bringing Ed up to lay with him, using his hand as a guidance. “Come and lay with me. We can decide what to do in the morning.” Roy prompted Ed, who couldn’t resist the warmth of his former superior. 

“Don’t do that again. You scared me.” Ed moved in close to Roy, taking his usual position by becoming the little spoon, his back arched up against Roy’s stomach.   
A small chuckle rumbled through Roy. “How do you think I feel when you get hurt?” Roy murmured into Ed’s hair, kissing him gently on the head. 

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”


	11. Chapter 11

Tonight was the night before the ambush. 

“Hey, Mustang.” 

Roy lifted his head, his gaze meeting Ed’s. “Hmm?” 

“Will you do me a favor and put this on the record player?” Ed asked, outstretching a dusty cover over to Roy, who took hold of it and frowned. “A record? You mean you kept one?” Roy questioned, looking somewhat amazed. 

Ed grinned. “Yeah, I kept it, just in case I ever wanted to hear something besides silence. Put it on, and we can listen to some music.” 

Roy raised an eyebrow, before he smiled, chuckling. “I haven’t heard any music in a while.” He admitted, moving over to place it onto the record player on the other side of the room. He plugged it in, and turned it on, blowing the dust off. “Ready?” Roy asked, placing the needle on top after Ed nodded. Music began to play, filling the entire room, and Ed grinned. “I missed that.” He chuckled, standing up from where he was sitting on the couch so he could move towards Roy. 

“You sure do have an odd taste in music, Fullmetal.” Roy smirked, but his smirk faded when another song came on, this one a slow, and nostalgic song for Roy. He smiled and glanced up at Ed, who was now standing next to him. 

“Do you know how to dance?” 

Ed lifted his eyebrows, pointing to his chest. “Me? Umm, no not really I—“ 

“Let me teach you.” 

Before Ed could respond, Roy had already snaked his hands around Ed’s waist, pulling him close to face him. “Just wrap your arms around my neck, or place them on my shoulders, and you’re good to go.” Roy instructed, smiling when Ed obeyed. “Good.” 

Roy slowly led them into a slow, and meaningful dance, both pressed up against each other as the song continued, the long and flowing chords letting the two dance with ease. 

Roy pressed his forehead up against Ed’s, and smiled. “This song is very dear to me, actually. I listened to it a lot, when I was sad.” 

“Really? So did I.” Ed murmured, a small blush forming on his cheeks as he rested his head on Roy’s forehead, smiling. “This is..nice.” He breathed, taking in Roy’s sweet scent as he let his partner guide him through the dance. 

“Are you afraid?” Roy murmured into Ed’s ear, who chuckled sadly. “Yeah. I am. What if we don’t come back from this? Or worse, what if only one of us comes out of it?” Ed breathed, feeling tears form at the corners of his eyes at the thought of losing his Roy. 

“Don’t think like that, Ed.” Roy whispered, kissing his ear gently. “Whatever happens, we’ll be together. I promise.” Roy himself was becoming misty eyed, and he let his mouth close, wanting to cherish this moment with Edward. He wasn’t sure himself if this was going to be the last moment he ever spent with him, but if it was, then he was glad it was with the one he loved the most, dancing to a song that helped both of them through hard times. 

“I love you.” He whispered after a minute, which made Ed shiver. 

“You..moron..” Ed croaked, feeling tears run down his face now, unable to keep them in. “I love you too.” He whispered, pressing his head further into Roy’s forehead, his eyes closed now as he tried to contain the sobs. 

“Don’t cry. Stay strong for me. We’re going to be okay. And even if something goes wrong, I’m glad we’re doing this. I’ve always wanted to be able to dance with you.” Roy explained softly, removing a hand from Ed’s waist to stroke his hair softly. “And now I am.” He breathed, feeling his own voice falter as he thought of the possibilities. “We’re going to be okay.” He repeated, reassuring himself and the blonde haired alchemist. “We’re going to do this together.” 

“I promise.” 

Roy then began to sing ever so softly into Ed’s ear, the low hum sending shivers down the young man’s spine. The tears continued to flow, and Ed wailed silently, clinging to the man he loved the most, his small frame shaking. 

The last few seconds of the song echoed throughout the office, and then it was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

Ed awoke with a start the next morning, his eyes darting open as they scanned the room frantically. There was a deep, uneasy feeling in his stomach. 

Today was the day of the ambush. 

Ed turned over in his position to face Roy, who was still asleep, the sunlight from dawn shining through the window and onto his dark face. His features were still and relax, and Ed felt his heart skip a beat, his mind fearing for the worst. What if this was the last time they would sleep together? Ed shook the thought away quickly, and gave Roy a soft kiss on the lips, hoping to wake him up. 

Within seconds, Roy began to stir from his slumber, dark eyes creaking open to meet the golden sunlight. He lowered his eyes and met another golden ray of sunlight, but instead it was Ed, his bright, golden eyes staring up at him. Roy smiled and brought a hand up, gently ruffling the younger man’s hair. “Morning.” He greeted lowly, the rumble sending shivers down Ed’s spine. 

“Morning.” He breathed back, giving him another kiss on the lips. “Guess what today is?” He asked, a sad smile spreading across his face. 

Roy knew what the question meant the moment the words left Ed’s lips. “Ambush day.” He answered, letting a small smile form on his lips. “We’re going to be fine. We made a plan, remember?” Roy reminded the younger alchemist, who nodded. 

“Yeah.” He answered simply, still unsure as the two began to move from their bed. 

“Let’s get dressed and ready. Eat a good breakfast. We’ll need it.” 

~~ 

Ed reloaded his gun, the click sending several echoes off of the walls of the street buildings. “This better work out, or I’m going to kill you.” Ed muttered to his former superior, who in return, chuckled. 

“Please, Ed, you wouldn’t kill me even if you wanted to.” Roy responded smugly, a cocky smirk on his face. 

“Yeah, well, that makes you lucky doesn’t it?” 

“Yes, I suppose it does.” 

The warehouse was now in plain view, the two less than a thousand feet now. Ed’s stomach was still tied in knots just thinking about what they were about to do. He glanced over to Roy, who didn’t seem to look alarmed. He just looked..accepting. 

“Remember the plan?” Roy asked, stopping in their tracks. 

Ed lifted his head, nodding. “Yeah. We both go in, you take the right, I’ll take the left, and once we’re done, or in trouble, we meet up at the rendezvous, which is located right here.” Ed said, pointing down to the ground he was standing on. Roy nodded, and smiled. 

“Exactly. Roy ruffled Ed’s hair affectionately, and began to advance towards the building again. “We can do this. Alright?” Roy reassured Ed, who looked uncertain still. 

“Yeah. I sure hope so.” Ed breathed, following Roy into the dark abyss of the warehouse again, his heart thumping in his chest. 

Roy whispered as quietly as he could, doing his best not to attract their attention. “This warehouse may seem like one room, but I’m certain there are indents and different sections, so we’ll have to be careful. At first I believed it was only one room but now I’m uncertain.” Roy breathed as quietly as he could, hearing Ed whisper something in response. “I love you. Good luck.” Roy whispered, and before Ed could reply, he was gone. 

Ed swallowed hard, and let his eyes move to the left, where the endless darkness rested. He took in a deep breath, and drew his gun, holding it in front of him. He began to advance, praying his eyes would adjust faster than they had the time before. 

Roy was already several steps ahead Ed, feeling a door handle in front of him. He tensed. The warehouse did have separate sections. The spot Ed and I had been searching in last time was only one room. He thought silently, carefully beginning to turn the handle. The door creaked open, and he held his hand out, ready to snap. His eyes were adjusting by now, and he could see the faint outlines of the undead, only a few occupying the room. He snapped his fingers, and enveloped three in flames instantly, before moving to snap at the two others that were beginning to run towards him, their screeches ear piercing. 

Ed still felt completely blind, the light from the entrance no longer guiding him. He was too far away. He turned his head back around and grunted, feeling something cold and hard meet his chest. He stumbled back and gasped when he saw a single eye staring directly at him, and raised his gun higher, shooting at the head. It squawked and fell backwards, giving Ed enough time to unsheathe his knife. He kneeled down and ran it through the undead’s neck, severing the head from the rest of the body. Once the scream was cut off, he stood back up, the knife now in one hand while he carried the gun in the other. Ed knew the gunshot had to have attracted attention, and now he was afraid more than he could handle would come to fight for their food. 

Roy finished incinerating the undead in the room, and proceeded to the next door, which had been illuminated earlier by his flames. He shoved through it, and snapped again, giving no hesitation this time as more undead were revealed from the dark cloak they once wore. They screamed and growled, trying their best to avoid the flames as they neared Roy, but he snapped again, none of them able to advance to get within arm’s reach of the Flame Alchemist. 

Ed’s assumptions had proven to be true, as he now heard a handful of undead moaning, their feet dragging on the floor. He tensed and held his gun up, as well as readying his knife to strike. When he felt the first soldier grab him, he quickly located their head and dragged the knife through it, feeling it resist when it hit tendon. He snagged it through and kicked the headless body aside, elbowing another that was reaching for his arm. He shot several bullets into the undead’s head and slit its neck, the head coming clean off. He continued with his tactic until there were no more hands grabbing at him, and sighed with relief, wiping the green blood off of his face. 

Roy advanced into the next room, his finger ready to snap when he felt sharp teeth sink in to his arm. He let out a yelp and turned his head to see an undead standing next to the opened door, gnawing at his flesh. He slammed his other fist into the undead’s head, watching as it released its hold. He let out a pained grunt and quickly snapped at it, watching it disappear in flames. “Damn..” He whispered, feeling the blood well out of his wound, the sticky red substance covering his forearm. He hadn’t had much time to react when he felt another presence grab at his other arm, rearing down to bite. He slammed his fist up into the jaw of the soldier and kicked it aside, sparks erupting from his glove. The other burned too, and Roy quickly pushed past the remaining and opened the next door, sending an explosive flame behind him as he closed the door to keep himself from facing the heat. 

Ed had found a door, and had wearily passed through it, hearing the creak of the door as it closed behind him. At the sound of the dull click, growls and screeches were heard, and Ed swallowed, raising his gun. He could see somewhat, shadows and figures now visible to him in the darkness. Ahead of him, there were two human-like figures, and he shot at them quickly, thrusting his knife forward. Two more followed, and Ed did the same, taking them down swiftly. However, when the next round approached him, one lunged forwards and tripped Ed, his body slamming down onto hard concrete. “Shit!” He wheezed, the breath knocking out of him when he made contact with the pavement. 

Roy was faced with more undead soldiers than he had been anticipating in the room his flames lighting up the walls. This room was enormous, and there had to be over a hundred in the room, all eyes on him. He aimed to snap again, but was too late. Hands and claws were already scraping at him, and one bit down onto his hand, it’s jaws snapping right through it. He screamed and kicked at it, feeling flesh rip with the force. He cringed, snapping to incinerate the figure, but nothing happened. “Shit.” He hissed, realizing now that ignition glove had been ripped along with his skin. He let out another yell when more ripped at his arms, another ripping off his remaining ignition glove. 

Roy began to panic, his senses heightening as he began to throw all of them off, one by one, screaming when pieces of flesh were taken with them. The moment he was free from all contact, he jerked the door open and dashed towards the previous rooms, moving through all of them as quick as possible. He needed to go back to the rendezvous, where he had hoped Ed would be. They’d been at this for a while, surely he would be back by now? 

Ed had managed to shot three more down on the floor, feeling as his foot was gnawed, the muscle tearing. He let out a pained yell and shot another in the head, yanking his leg away from the undead that was using it as a chew toy. He whimpered quietly and hobbled up to his feet, pressing more weight on his better foot as he thrust forward with his knife, dragging it down one of the undead’s chest. 

Roy escaped the building as quick as he could, pushing through the lighted crack. He let out a gasp and drank in as much air as he could, his legs feeling weak. Once he was composed enough, he began to jog towards their agreed rendezvous, his heart lurching when nobody was there. “Ed?” He called out, raising his head towards the sky as he watched dark clouds roll in; a storm. “Edward!” He called again, gritting his teeth when there was no response. “Dammit..” Roy whispered, taking the time to look down at his bloodied arms and hands. He cringed, closing his hands slowly to look at his bloody knuckles. “That idiot.” He hissed, his head snapping back to the small entrance of the warehouse. He sucked in a breath, and turned around, quickly diving back into the darkness. 

“Edward!” Roy yelled, not concerned about his location being given away at the moment. “Edward Elric!” 

He waited a few seconds, his teeth clenching further when there was no response. “You damned bastard, where are you?” He breathed, breaking out in a run towards the left, in the direction Ed had gone. 

Not too much later he arrived at motionless, and headless bodies, and smiled some, knowing he had surely come this way. He followed the path, eventually arriving at a door. He opened it, and stepped over the motionless bodies, finding another door to move into. This time, there was movement. His eyes adjusted, his heart thumping in his chest as he spotted golden hair. “Ed.” He breathed, watching as the alchemist lifted his eyes off of the undead he was on top of, and over to Roy. He let a smile spread across his dirtied face, his mouth opening to speak. “Heya—“ 

His voice was cut off with the sound of choking. Roy watched in horror as an undead from behind pounced, grabbing Ed by the throat in its jowls, dragging him down onto the ground. 

“EDWARD!”


	13. Chapter 13

Ed let out a choked cough, his chest heaving for a breath, which was ragged and wheezy. The creature bit down harder, blood spraying across Ed’s chest and the creatures face. He coughed up blood and grunted, his eyes shakily making their way up to the blurry figure of Roy, who was running towards him. He felt the creature raise its head, Ed’s neck moving with it as the blood seeped down his side, more choked noises spilling out of Ed’s mouth. The predator had become the prey, and Ed was defenseless against the mighty being, his eyes dulling to an ugly, dirtied yellow. 

Roy knelt down and pulled his gun out, shooting the creature in the head once, and then two more times, before he grabbed the knife out of Ed’s limp hand and stabbed it in the chest, and then slid it up to its throat, pushing deeper. “You BASTARD!” He screeched, shoving it in fully before he twisted the blade, slicing through the muscle with ease. He then did the same for the creature below Ed, and then quickly turned his attention to the broken alchemist, his hands uncontrollably shaking. “It’s okay, we’re going to get you out of here.” Roy breathed, scooping Ed up into his bloodied hands. When he attempts to raise him, he lets out a muffled grunt, the weight on his wounds excruciatingly painful. He moved again, and let out a yell this time, his knees faltering. 

Ed could only watch as the person he loved most struggled to their feet, the problem being himself. Everything was blurred, and when Roy tried to speak to him, he couldn’t understand what he was saying. He let out a gurgled noise, and felt his eyes begin to flutter closed, coughing. 

“Dammit Ed, stay with me,” He hissed, biting his tongue as he hoisted himself up, letting out a withheld scream. He didn’t want to alarm Ed in his state, and began towards the door, opening it with his elbow. 

He trudged out towards the small crack of light on the other side of the building, Roy quickly becoming fatigued. When he was nearly at the exit, a noise turned his attention away from the exit, and back into the darkness. When he concentrated harder, he realized it to be hundreds of feet thudding against the pavement at once. He gasped and quickly crouched out of the building with Ed, wincing at every movement he made. When he was free, he began to run as fast as his legs would let him, his earlier wound beginning to bother him. “Not now, dammit.” Roy hissed, glancing behind him to see white and red figures emerge from the black abyss. “Shit.” 

He arrived at the base within no time, despite his many injuries, the wounded Ed limp in his grasp. However, when they barged into the office, Roy ran to the window to inspect the field of Central. They were coming. “They’ve never been this bold before,” Roy hissed, setting Ed down on the couch while he went to go deadbolt the office door. Once it was tight and secure, he ran back over to Ed, moving his hands towards the neck wound, and then pausing, his hands shaking. What was he supposed to do? 

Ed opened an eye and smiled weakly at Roy, coughing up more blood. “Don’t..act so worried..it’s..not that bad..” Ed croaked, more blood spilling out of his mouth while he tried to reassure Roy. 

“Keep your mouth shut, idiot.” Roy hissed, moving to find peroxide and bandages. He then quickly began to work, keeping an eye on the window as he watched the undead advance. He kept quiet about it however, not wanting to alarm Ed at the moment. He would lose more blood if his heart rate spiked. 

Roy applied the liquid to the grotesque bite wound, watching it as it sizzled. “I’m sorry..” he murmured, his eyes closing tight when he heard Ed scream. He quickly reopened them however, continuing his work. After he had cleaned it, he wrapped it, noticing the gash in Ed’s leg. He disinfected and wrapped his leg afterwards, before attending to his own arms, throwing the peroxide onto the bloodied mess. He held down a scream, his tongue practically bleeding as he bit down on it to suppress the pain. He then tore the rest of the tattered remains of his sleeves to the side, and wrapped his arms as best he could. 

Once he was done, he heard a bang on the office door, his head jolting up to stare at it, cringing when it creaked again. “Dammit..” Roy mumbled, his eyes trailing off to meet Ed’s dull eyes. 

He was surprised by what he saw. Instead of determination and the will to fight, he saw defeat, and sadness. Roy knew what he was thinking, and he couldn’t deny that he was thinking the same thing. 

They both knew they weren’t coming out of this alive. 

The sound of windows breaking and doors being broken down drowned out both of their ears. It wasn’t until Ed spoke again that Roy snapped back to reality. 

“Will you sing?” 

Roy furrowed his eyebrows, moving up onto the couch, where he placed Ed on-top of his lap. “Sing?” 

Ed nodded. “Yeah. You....sang for me last...night. I…like your voice. It’s calming..” 

Roy felt something warm well up in his throat, but he swallowed it. He needed to keep his composure. “Of course.” 

He positioned Ed so that he could more comfortable in Roy’s lap, and brought a shaky hand to stroke the golden hair softly, his mouth opening as he began to quietly sing the lyrics to the song of last night. He did his best not to let his voice waver, letting Ed know that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Ed lifted himself slightly and buried his face into Roy’s warm chest, soaking up every last moment that he could. He slammed his eyes shut and took in the strokes, savoring every last one. The vibrations from Roy’s chest soothed Ed, and he let his cheek rest against it, feeling the fear and the pain ebb away slowly. Roy was the only thing that could comfort Ed at this point. Strong, fearless Roy. 

Roy continued to stroke the golden hair, letting the soft lyrics surround Ed. He needed to be strong for the one he loved the most. It wasn’t too much longer before the door gave, and the undead began to pour in. Roy stopped his singing, and lifted Ed’s head as gently as he could, giving him the one, true, smile of his life. “It’s going to be okay.” Roy assured Ed. “I’ll always be by your side.” 

Ed’s eyes met with Roy’s, and he returned the smile, nodding. He knew Roy would keep him safe. “I know.” 

Roy wanted the undead soldiers to take Ed first. At a first glance, it sounded selfish. But Roy wanted the last thing that Ed saw to be something happy. He wanted him to see him alive and smiling, not dead and eaten. He had always promised Ed that he would be by his side, and he wasn’t going to abandon his promise now. He would always be with Ed; and Ed would never be alone, until his last dying breath. 

“I told you, whatever happened we were going to be together.” Roy breathed, his words quickening as the undead neared the two. “And we are.” 

Ed’s eyes began to brim with tears, a sad smile stretching from end to end. “You always were true to your words…weren’t you?” Ed laughed, the tears falling down the side of Ed’s face. “I guess this means I’ll see you on the other side..or whatever the hell they call it..” Ed rasped, a grin now replacing the smile as he felt a hand reach and grab his arm. 

“I love you.” 

Roy had to keep the smile firm on his face, despite the need to curl up in Ed’s hold and sob. He watched as the undead began to grab at Ed, and loosened his hold, giving him a final kiss on the lips. “I love you too.” 

He watched as his Ed was carried away, taken away from him, and ended. 

Roy couldn’t look away; he had a promise to keep. The last eye contact he held with Ed was one of him smiling.

Ed was gone. 

And as soon as he was, Roy’s face twisted up with grief, and he began to sob, the bloodied mess on the floor unmoving as the undead advanced towards him, grabbing his arms and shirt. He let them take him without a struggle, knowing the sooner they ate, the sooner he would be rejoined with Ed. 

Six months, and thirty three days, they had survived. 

The situation in itself was a win-win. 

The two soldiers were able to finally live their life together, like they had always wanted. 

And the undead got their dinner.


End file.
